Electric light fixture



June 15, 1943. J w, BROOKS 2,322,112

- ELECTRIC LIGHT FIXTURE Filed Aug. 19, 1941 Patented June 15, 1943 ELECTRIC LIGHT FIXTURE John Wendell Brooks, Syracuse, N. Y., assignor to Pass & Seymour, Inc., Syracuse, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application August 19, 1941, Serial No. 407,471

1 Claim.

This invention relates to electric light fixtures and more particularly to electric light fixtures of the ceramic type adapted to be used with or without shades for the electric lamp.

It is a general object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved electric light fixture of the type described.

More particularly it is an object of the invention to provide a light fixture having a ceramic canopy including a pendant portion adapted to house a lamp holder, together with means for securing the lamp holder in position therein and attaching a shade supporting means thereto when desired, the, construction being such that the appearance of the fixture is pleasing with or without the shade supporting attachment.

An important feature of the invention resides in the manner of mounting the lamp holder within the canopy to provide a finish .for the lower end of the tubular lamp holder supporting means whether used with or without a shade holding attachment which is secured in position by the same means provided for clamping the lamp holder in place.

Other and further objects and features of the invention will be more apparent to those skilled in the art upon a consideration of the accompanying drawing and following specification wherein is illustrated a single exemplary embodiment of the invention with the understanding that such changes and modifications may be made therein as fall within the scope of the appended claim without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In said drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an electric light fixture constructed in accordance with the present invention and shown complete with shade supporting attachment, lamp, and shade;

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 showing the fixture without the shade holder attachment; and

Figure 3 is an enlarged elevation, partly in central vertical section, of the device with the lamp shade attachment in position.

Ceramic lighting fixtures are used for various purposes. They are almost in universal demand for bathrooms, kitchens, and the like, among other reasons because of the ease with which they can be cleaned. In some such installations they merely comprise a simple canopy housing a lamp holder intended to hold the base of a spherical lamp which is normally exposed. With the realization that such devices are valuable for other uses such as in corridors, halls, hospitals and the like, has come the demand for some simple means for supporting a shade, particularly one of the invented bowl type, to provide indirect or semi-indirect lighting and to hide at least most of the electric lamp.

Heretofore it has been found necessary to de sign two different types of fixtures, one for use with the bare or exposed lamp, and another for use with shades or canopies, but in accordance with the present invention one type of fixture is satisfactory for both uses, the simple addition of a one-piece metal attachment providing for the support of inverted bowl-type shades.

Referring now to the drawing and particularly to Figures 1 and 2, it will be seen that the fixture as a whole, indicated by the reference character H3, shows exposed only a canopy ll of porcelain or other suitable ceramic material of any desired size, configuration and ornamentation provided with an integral portion l2, pendant when the device is considered as mounted on the ceiling, and housed in this pendant portion is a lamp holder which will be later described. The lower end of the pendant portion is substantially flat as shown at [4 in Figure 2 where the single ball-shaped lamp I5 is fully exposed.

In accordance with the showing in Figure 1, a metal shade holder [6 is positioned over this fiat lower end l4 and is slotted as at ll to receive and hold a plurality of flexible supports l8 for suspending a bowl-like shade [9 which may be of translucent glassware, plastic, or metal, in accordance with the requirements of the lighting system.

In Figure 3 the hollow canopy II is seen to be formed integral with the tubular or pendant portion 12 and molded from some suitable ceramic such as porcelain,milk glass or the like. Any recognized means of supporting the canopy from the ceiling or wall may be provided, but none has been shown since they are conventional.

The portion I2 is provided with a substantially circular central vertical bore 253, an upwardly extending counter-bore 2| providing the shoulder 22, and a pair of downwardly presented counterbores 23 and 24 of progressively increasing diameter. Between the bores 23 and 24 is the shoulder 2 5.

A simple lamp holder comprising the pressed metal screw shell 26 and the porcelain base 26' is arranged for mounting in the pendant portion of the fixture, the screw shell being of a diameter to loosely pass through the bore 20, whereas the porcelain base rests on the shoulder 22 and may have cooperating non-circular portions to prevent its rotation in the counter-bore 2 I. The distance from the shoulder 22 to the shoulder 25 is substantially equal to the length of the metal screw shell 26.

For retaining the lamp holder in position, the ceramic collar 21 is provided, having a main or tubular portion 28 and a flange 29. The tubular portion is internally threaded, as clearly seen in the drawing, for engagement over the outer surface of the metal screw shell 26, while the flanged portion 29 is of sufficient diameter to have its under-surface engage against the shoulder 25 for clamping the lamp holder securely in position. Under these conditions, the outer face 3!] of the flange 29 is preferably exactly flush with the lower end M of the pendant portion l2 thus providing a pleasing finish when used with a lamp alone. The lower end of the fixture will be seen to present the coaxial rings l4 and 30 spaced by a narrow and relatively deep groove existing between the Walls of the counter-bore 24 and the outer wall of the flange portion 29.

This groove provides space for accommodating a portion of the shade supporting attachment It now about to be described. This attachment is a one-piece metal stamping 40 including an annulus ll having a bore adapted to loosely receive the main portion 27 of the porcelain screw ring. The annulus 4| is adapted to rest on the shoulder 25 and to have the flange 29 bear on its underface to clamp it in position as clearly seen in Figure 3. Extending from the larger diameter of the annulus is the slightly flaring tubular portion 62 having a vertical length somewhat greater than the depth of the counter-bore 24 and extending from the lower edge of this is the flange 13 which preferably has the upwardly turned rim 44. The flange covers over the end of the pendant portion of the canopy and the upturned rim 44 provides a pleasing finish as well as space for the slots ll, preferably enlarged at the bottom as at ll. These slots are of such a width as to pass the connecting link between two balls of the conventional ball chain which is conveniently used as the flexible supporting means l8 for the shade.

The construction just described not only provides a fixture which is pleasing in appearance in either form but one in which the metal shade supporting attachment is carefully isolated and insulated from all current-carrying metal parts for it will be seen that the flanged screw ring is interposed between the metal supporting means and the screw shell of the socket, holding these parts in permanent spaced relation under all conditions.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

In an electric light fixture, in combination, a canopy having a substantially tubular pendant portion provided with a central bore and a plurality of counter-bores, a lamp holder including a screw shell extending through said bore and a base in one of said counter-bores, a flanged ring threaded onto said shell and having its main portion in one counter-bore with its flange adapted to bear on a shoulder between said last mentioned counter-bore and the outermost counterbore, the pendant portion having a lower face lying substantially in the plane of the lower face of the said flange, a thin metal shade supporting member having an annulus adapted to rest on said shoulder and bored to loosely fit over the main portion of said ring, a sleeve extending from the annulus and fitting between the ring flange and the walls of the outermost counter-bore and a flange extending over the lower face of said tubular portion and having shade supporting means thereon.

JOHN WENDELL BROOKS. 

